reusable shopping bags 2009

Prairie Trace Elementary Webelo Pack 197

In honor of Earth Day, Pack 197’s Webelo Raven Patrol rallied their school, Prairie Trace Elementary, to reduce the use of plastic bags by 29,000 over the next year! Led by Sam W., the eight scouts distributed over 600 reusable shopping bags on April 22nd to the students and faculty, who had signed a pledge to use the bag at least once a week. The scouts’ project teaches students they can choose to reuse and reduce the drain on Earth’s non- renewable resources. Most importantly the scouts’ goal is to inspire students by proving small changes started by small people can have a big impact.

Here are a few of our favorite facts in regards to why we are urging you to make the very important choice to put down your paper and plastic and protect your Earth today!

* A Plastic bag takes 450 years to biodegrade. Imagine 10 billion of them!* The production of Paper bags causes 70% more pollution than Plastic.* When Plastic “photo degrades” it ends up in our oceans. Incidentally, it appears much like a plankton, and is then consumed by fish. Fish eat it, and it winds up on your dinner table. YUCK!!!* The recipe for making paper bags starts with 1 part pulp, 400 parts WATER. What a waste of water!* The recycling of plastic emits heavy metals into the air causing extreme air pollution* An average person will use over 350 bags in a single year!* In New York City, one less grocery bag per person would reduce waste by five million pounds and save $250,000 in disposal costs!* In 1999 more than 14 million trees were cut down to produce 10 billion paper bags that were used by Americans that year!

The facts are staggering and we could go on and on as to why it is so imperative that you stop using paper and plastic now.* Reusable bags save trees* Reusable bags save water* Reusable bags save gas and oil* Reusable bags help air pollution* Reusable bags help our oceans* Reusable bags help our sea creatures* Reusable bags save 700+ bags over the span of their lifetime!* Reusable bags help our families!

The Cub Scouts designed their own shopping bags. To receive a free shopping bag, each Prairie Trace Elementary family signed a pledge indicating that they would use it at least once each week for a year.

Prairie Trace Elementary Cub Scout Pack 197 is happy to be promoting reusable shopping bags at their school. They hope to show to both adults and kids that small changes add up.

The Cub Scouts presented an educational puppet show to the elementary school students to illustrate why their families should use fewer disposable shopping bags.